In a pre-election rigging
attempt, the regime of President Asif Ali Zardari conspired to damage the
independent judiciary in Pakistan that may not allow rigging in the forthcoming
elections which are due some times later this year or early next year. The
conspiracy was revealed by a renowned journalist, Shaheen Sehbai who said that
Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry's family was trapped in the conspiracy
by giving around Rs400 million ($4 million) by a
business tycoon close to President Zardari.

Commenting on Sehbai's
revelation, Haroon Rashid, a senior journalist told Dunya TV that he was not
surprised by the trap plan because the unpopular and corrupt Zardari regime
wants to win the next elections by hook or crook. He said that this is power
politics.

The US client Zardari
regime has been at odd with the Supreme Court of Pakistan under Chief Justice
Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry. It is now history that Zardari was reluctant to
restore CJ Chaudhry who was sacked in March 2007 by President General Parwez
Musharraf when he refused to bend. However, under intensive public pressure CJ
Chaudhry was restored in March 2009 by Zardari regime which came into power under a US-brokered deal with his
assassinated spouse, Benazir Bhutto, to share power with General Parwez
Musharraf. Under the controversial deal all corruption cases, including money
laundering cases in Switzerland, against Benazir and Zardari were withdrawn.
Pakistan Supreme Court, in 2009, declared null and void this amnesty given
through the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). Zardari
regime is now fighting with the Supreme Court not to open money laundering
cases against Zardari.

Shaheen Sehbai's interview

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Not surprisingly, the
Zardari regime decided to damage the image of CJ Chaudhry and a meticulous plan
was hatched to bribe his son Arsalan Chaudhry,
according to Shaheen Sehbai, Group Editor The News International. Chief
Justice scam to trap story was disclosed by Shaheen Sehbai a 38 minute interview by the Washington Beat
on YouTube on Monday.

Sehbai said "CJ's son was given up to Rs400 million (Approximately
$4 million) in a planned conspiracy. The conspiracy is now completed and can be brought to surface anytime."

According to Shaheen Sehbai CJ's son received millions of rupees plus sponsored
foreign trips with credit cards to be used abroad for him and his family from a
famous business tycoon of Pakistan. "There are quite a few people in Pakistan
whose earnings are in billions of rupees and who can easily invest in such
conspiracy plans. The person who I am referring to has relationships with
military and politicians likewise. Nowadays he is very close to government," he
added.

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CJ
Iftikhar Chaudhry begins proceedings against son

On Wednesday Chief Justice Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry took a suo moto notice against his own son Arsalan Iftikhar and Bahria Town's Chairman Malik Riaz Hussain, following allegations leveled against them.

Before the start of the case hearing, Arsalan
Iftikhar told reporters that he was innocent and that he had been told not to
return home until a judgment was reached. His father, Iftikhar Chaudhry,
heading the three-member bench said that if allegations against his son were
proved true, he would be punished in accordance with the law.

During the hearing,
Attorney General Irfan Qadir raised objection to the inclusion of Chaudhry on
the bench hearing the case. The CJ responded by saying that the case was not of
political nature and that he would not step down from the bench hearing the
case.

Pakistan
Supreme Court convicts PM for contempt

The Supreme Court of
Pakistan created a major political storm in the country in April last when it
adjudged Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani guilty of contempt of court, raising
the possibility of his disqualification as a member of parliament and the head
of government. The Prime Minister was
given a token sentence, till the rising of the court - which was all over in
less than a minute.

'After our satisfaction
that the contempt committed by him is substantially detrimental to the
administration of justice and tends to bring this court and the judiciary of
this country into ridicule" Gilani" is found guilty of and convicted for
contempt of court" for willful flouting, disregard and disobedience of this
court's direction" He is, therefore, punished" with imprisonment till the
rising of the court,' a short order issued by a seven-member bench of the
Supreme Court said.

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Gilani was summoned before
the Pakistan Supreme Court on January 19 for failing to take steps to re-open
money-laundering proceedings against President Asif Ali Zardari. He was indicted for contempt of court on February
13. The civilian-judicial confrontation stems from thousands of cases thrown
out in 2007 under an amnesty ordered by former military president Pervez
Musharraf, which paved the way for a return to civilian rule Zardari was the
decree's most prominent beneficiary.

In 2009 the Supreme Court
declared the law - National Reconciliation Ordinance - as null and void. The
court also ordered the government to ask Swiss authorities to restart legal
action against Zardari. The cases date back to the 1990s, when Zardari had
multiple cases of corruption lodged against him, including accusations of money
laundering using Swiss accounts.

It may be
recalled that in August 2003, a Swiss Court found former Pakistani Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto and her widower, Asif Zardari, guilty of money
laundering. Investigation Judge Daniel Devaud sentenced them to a six-month
suspended jail term, fined them $50,000 each and ordered they pay more than $2m
to the Pakistani Government along with a diamond necklace. The case was related
to an illegal six per cent of commission or bribe worth $12 million for
awarding a pre-shipment customs inspection contract to two Swiss firms Societe
Generale de Surveillance and Cotecna. The judge said they had illegally
deposited millions of dollars in accounts in Switzerland and ordered the money
be returned to Pakistan. The
Supreme Court wants the 60 million dollars in this account returned to the
country.

Author and journalist.
Author of
Islamic Pakistan: Illusions & Reality;
Islam in the Post-Cold War Era;
Islam & Modernism;
Islam & Muslims in the Post-9/11 America.
Currently working as free lance journalist.
Executive Editor of American (more...)